Mother Nature strikes: Gusty winds cause losses to life, property in Hyd, Mirpurkhas

Around 100 huts burnt to ashes in a village as a result of a fire spread by the winds.


Our Correspondent May 06, 2014
The meteorological office recorded the wind speed between 20 to 35 nautical miles in different parts of the two divisions. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE

HYDERABAD: A windstorm, coupled with light to heavy showers, overran some of the districts in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions on Sunday night, causing damages to several mud houses and huts. At least two young boys were reportedly killed while hundreds of goats and chickens also perished.

The meteorological office recorded the wind speed between 20 to 35 nautical miles in different parts of the two divisions. The gusty winds lasted for over an hour with varying intensity in different areas.

Around 100 huts burnt to ashes in Mohabbat Shah Bukhari village, Tando Allahyar district. Sparks of flames which fanned out from a stove in a hut engulfed the whole village within a few minutes. Dozens of goats and chickens were reportedly killed while a few people were mildly injured as they rushed to save their lives and property.

"I lost all my belongings, including the dowry I had collected for my daughters," cried Deenu Kolhi, who said that all the goods in his hut had burnt to ashes.

DSP Noor Mohammed Mari who inspected the place ruled out sabotage, saying that the incident was triggered by the weather. Emergency was declared at the local government hospital, according to the medical superintendent, Dr Peer Dino Arbab. However, no major casualty was reported at the hospital.

An eight-year-old boy, Imdad Makrani, died after the roof of his house collapsed in village Saleh Makrani, in Benazirabad's Sakrand tehsil. Separately, a 16-year-old boy, Prem, died after falling from the roof in village Ghalpur, Mirpurkhas. His head struck against a tree trunk as he fell.

Meanwhile, farmers in Mirpurkhas and Tando Allahyar districts also reported damages to mango farms.

Widespread power outages also occurred in the storm-hit district. The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company shut down 150 out of its 410 electricity feeders the moment the storm started, according to the spokesperson, Sadiq Kubar. Some of the feeders and the supply system also developed faults, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2014.

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